Under the Weather
by akihiko-senpai
Summary: Cam falls ill on his favorite day of the year, prompting Lillian to enact a plan she hopes will do more than just cheer him up.


_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: I get a lot of requests for Cam-centric stories and for Cam and Lillian to end up together, so I wrote this to try to appease those fans haha. Also, I happen to have a soft spot for the florist as well. :P I hope you all enjoy this story!_

* * *

Cam had never been particularly weak, but he was no stranger to illness. It seemed every sickness that rolled through Bluebell struck him particularly hard, leaving Ash and Laney to suppress laughter at his pitiful state and tend to his well-being. Being the unlucky one of the group did not frustrate him in the least; instead, he accepted this misfortune and spent his days reading or gazing out his window at the townspeople about their day.

Only this time was different, for this year he had taken ill on Summer 10: Summer Flower Day.

It was arguably the greatest festival Cam had ever heard of, and most definitely his favorite. Another rather crucial fact was that its entire production depended solely on him. Now that he was on his sick bed, however, there were no flowers to buy. Therefore there were no flowers to give, and therefore there was no festival. His sole visitor, Ash, folded a paper flower, set it beside his bed, offered a thumbs up and left before he got whatever contagious disease was roaming around the tight quarters.

Cam crumpled the paper and flung it after him, striking the door just as it closed. Missing the festival himself when he had made flowers the center of his life was harsh enough. To also bear the weight of Bluebell's collective disappointment only left him guilt stricken as well as miserably sick.

When a knock sounded at the door an hour later he was prepared to tell Ash to give up on trying to cheer him up because it clearly wasn't working, but the figure that opened the door was certainly _not _Ash. Lillian smiled gently across the room at him, cloaked in a brand new outfit that was complete with a thin violet headband pushing back her brunette locks. When she noticed Cam admiring it she asked, "Do you like it? Nori calls this the 'casual outfit.'" She laughed and continued her voyage to Cam's bed, kneeling beside it. "How are you feeling?"

"It's, er, nice," Cam stuttered, looking away. He was used to seeing Lillian prance around town in a work outfit Ash often referred to as "perfect for her." Cam had to disagree, however, now that he saw her in clothes that reflected her personality rather than her occupation. He didn't want to linger on the topic of her clothing, though, for he clearly wasn't handling it so well. "I'm…fine."

Lillian tilted her head to the side, eyes full of sympathy, and then turned to focus on the light blue crumpled sheet of paper on the floor. She frowned and swept it up, holding it out towards him. "What's this? Are you trashing your room just because you're sick?"

"No!" Cam exclaimed, snatching the paper from her hand. He felt reluctant to describe the festival to her, hoping that she had simply not been told of it and didn't realize that he had disappointed her. "It was just something Ash left lying around. How's your day going so far?"

She didn't look like she believed him, but clearly decided to cut him some slack considering his current state. "It's been going good. I've been busy all day running back and forth between here and Konohana, but I wanted to come make sure you were doing okay. Georgia told me you've been out of work for two days now, and I know that must be bothering you. Is there anything you want me to run out and fetch?"

At some point throughout her description Lillian had taken Cam's hand, holding it tightly in both of hers, and the florist now found it very difficult to look at her. "Er, no, I'm good," he muttered, staring determinedly out the window. He could see Ash far off in the distance, clearing the debris that had been scattered around his small pasture. If he focused hard enough on something else, he hoped his blush would fade. Lillian simply leaned farther towards him, however, and he murmured, "I don't want to hold you back from your work."

"Forget about it, Lillian," he mumbled when she pressed on, turning towards the window even more. He gently pulled his hand free and patted her head. "You shouldn't spend so much time here, you'll get sick."

Lillian retreated from the boy's house with a heavy sigh, unsure what to do to better draw his attention and lift his spirits. It seemed that no matter what she tried, he pulled away from her twice as hard as she pushed. She straightened the bandanna he had rubbed askew and frowned out towards Ash. She was reluctant to consider that Cam had merely wanted her to leave, and so she set off towards the rancher, determined to extricate some answer that would explain Cam's behavior.

* * *

"He looks down?" Ash asked, grinning as he leaned across the fence towards her. "You'd be too if you were sick, right?"

"Well, yeah," Lillian muttered, shrugging embarrassedly. She wasn't sure how to explain her feelings, and after a moment's hesitation tried for, "It's just that I feel like there's something else bothering him besides being sick."

Ash smiled, lifting his hands behind his head and then stretching them up towards the flawless pale sky. "Look. It's beautiful outside today, isn't it? The perfect summer day. It must be terrible to be on the inside looking out. Not to mention today would have made quite a nice festival, if the boy in charge of providing the materials didn't fall ill the day before. Now he has to watch the perfect summer day roll by while the townspeople bask in their disappointment. A little depressing, isn't it?"

Lillian frowned, struggling to remember the dates Rutger had relayed to her on the first day of summer. Finally it struck her – Summer 10. Flower Festival. She groaned and slapped a hand to her forehead in frustration. "I'm such an idiot," she sighed. "Of course he's upset. He feels bad for not being able to sell everyone the flowers and now he has to miss out on his favorite festival and watch everyone else miss out too."

"You're not an idiot. I've known Cam my whole life, if I didn't know what was bothering him my best friend card would be revoked," Ash told her amiably enough, pulling a violet paper flower from his pocket and tucking it into her hair with a smirk. "But I can't do much with the information. It wouldn't mean anything…if it came from me. I'll see you later, Lillian."

He ignored her protests and walked towards the barn, raising a hand as he walked away. Lillian finally smiled, shaking her head. She had to admire Ash, though she wished it had been _her _who had this sort of expert knowledge of Cam. It didn't discourage her, however; she found she was looking forward to the day she could speak so confidently of the florist, just as his best friend had. But in the meantime, there was something she needed to do for a boy trapped inside his room - perhaps that expert knowledge of his friend's would sway in her favor if she asked nicely for help.

* * *

"How are you feeling, Cam?"

The florist turned miserably towards Howard, prepared to honestly explain that he couldn't recall feeling so awful, but was caught off guard by the sunflower tucked into his pocket. "Where'd you get that?" he asked eagerly, pushing himself up so quickly he was razed by a coughing fit immediately after.

Howard watched sympathetically until the fit subsided, but wore a knowing smile that Cam knew too well to fully trust. "It's just a flower," the man replied innocently enough. "Besides…everyone has one. I brought one for you too."

"…How does everyone have one?" Cam asked, taking the magic blue flower extended towards him. It was fresh as could be, and had blossomed perfectly. He couldn't have grown a better one if he tried his hardest.

"Just say thank you, Cam," Howard grinned, patting the boy's shoulder.

Cam raised a suspicious eyebrow but smiled down at his flower a moment later. "Thanks, Howard – oh, Laney, what's up?"

"I brought you a flower!" the blonde exclaimed cheerfully, crossing the room to offer a moondrop flower. She too had a sunflower, tucked tight into her bun. She put a finger to her lips when Cam tried to ask what was going on and then winked. "Don't worry about a thing, Cam. We'll see you later!"

With that the father and daughter abandoned his room, leaving him to puzzle over the two wildflowers. He held them up before his eyes, twirling them around. _Nobody in town really goes through the mountain path_, he thought curiously to himself. _Did Laney make some sort of exception on my behalf? I don't get why she would do that – she's the one who told me it served me right for laughing at her for having to miss the last Cooking Festival._

"Can I come in?"

"Uh…sure, Georgia," Cam called to the redhead, narrowing his eyes with confusion. She was wearing a carnation in her hair, touching it lightly with her fingertips as she wore a prideful grin. He knew it was futile to bother asking for an explanation from _her_. She never bothered telling him anything, preferring to live in a shroud of mystery. She flung a matching carnation at him that he nearly shirked from, impressed with the force she was able to use to throw such a small object. "Er, thanks?"

She huffed at the confusion evident in his eyes and then laughed, winking. "Anything for you. You'll probably die anyways."

"I really don't understand why we're friends," Cam muttered, looking away with mock annoyance. He turned back to tell Georgia he was only teasing, as they always did, and was surprised to see her father already standing before her. Much to his shock even _Grady _had a flower tucked into the pocket of his tacky equine sweater. He bestowed upon Cam a new bright yellow flower, offering a grin. Cam thanked him as well and then raised his eyebrows towards Georgia, who gave an over exaggerated shrug before laughing and hurrying from the room.

Cam fell back against his pillows, holding the four flowers in front of him. He couldn't understand anything that was going on, but knew it had to be _something_. Several moments later Eileen, Jessica, Cheryl, Enrique, Diego, and even the mayor and his wife filtered in and out of the room, wearing flowers of their own and offering up one towards their sick friend. Cam was at an utter loss when Ash strode in, holding a bouquet.

"Please tell me you didn't set up this entire thing."

"But I love you."

Cam rolled his eyes at Ash's words, and the boy grinned and gently tossed the bouquet towards him. "Actually I was given the special job of giving you the best bunch of flowers because I am your best friend and worked so hard to help. How is your day going so far _now_?"

"I have absolutely no idea what is going on," Cam answered, carefully tucking the flowers into appropriate places in the bouquet. He was impressed that it had been assembled so well without his care, knowing that his fellow villagers were typically hopeless when it came to that sort of thing. He turned to Ash, prepared to ask for some answers, but the boy held up a hand.

"I'm not telling you a thing. Instead, let's play a game. What," Ash began, putting his hand eagerly on Cam's doorknob, "is behind door number one?"

The florist hesitated and then felt the weight of realization striking him. He met Ash's mischievous eyes and murmured, "Is it…Lillian?"

"No, you're wrong. What, you have a thing for her or something?" Ash asked, opening the door and striding out it himself. Cam felt a crash of disappointment upon him, but when he glanced back at Ash's teasing eyes the hope was rejuvenated. "I'm kidding, just kidding. Lillian, my friend has been waiting here ever so patiently for you."

"I don't think he had much of a choice, but I'm glad he did," Lillian answered, brushing past Ash with a grin. Cam hurriedly pushed himself into a sitting position, knocking the flowers that had been resting on his chest into his lap. The bouquet didn't look any less lovely for its fall, and Lillian held out a particularly beautiful carnation that matched the crimson blossom in her hair, gesturing for him to fit it in. Cam took it from her without hesitation, looking for the perfect place to integrate it. She sat on the edge of his bed, speaking as he set to work gently sliding it into the center of the bouquet. "Ash told me about how important today was to you. Have you enjoyed everyone's visits?"

He beamed at her, his green eyes light with joy. "Of course," he told her gently, handing the bouquet to her. "I can't believe you set that all up for me. It was…really, really nice of you, Lillian. You didn't have to do something like that for me."

She pressed the bouquet back into his arms, smiling. "Actually, I did. I had ulterior motives, you know."

Cam felt his chest swell with increased optimism and struggled to stifle it. "You're sounding more and more like Ash," he told her, his voice only half-teasing.

Lillian grinned and shrugged, brushing her hand against the blossom in her hair. "Maybe I do sound a little bit like him. It couldn't hurt, considering how much you like him. Maybe it'll work for me too."

She seemed to know her words would make him blush, for she just chuckled at the flare in his cheeks. He fought to pull his words together as quickly as possible, desperate to say something that suited the mood. When he looked into her violet eyes, however, he felt the tension rising up inside him fade, and he returned her smile with a relaxed one of his own. "You don't have to be like Ash for me to like you. I already liked you…I like you as you are."

It was her turn to blush, and he thought that she had never looked more lovely in her "casual outfit" and rosy cheeks. She pulled the purple paper flower she had moved to her pocket out, dropping it into Cam's lap with a grin. "I like you as you are, too. Even when you're sick. I put this together so you knew that…that not only do I not mind being in your room when you're not feeling well, but that I want to. So…can I stay here this time?"

Cam looked at the folded paper, smiling. He would have to thank the boy who had folded that later. But for now, he had someone else to thank.

"Would you mind getting sick yourself?" he asked, a sly smile on his lips.

"As long as _I _don't miss the next festival," she teased. She leaned forward until the only thing between them was the bouquet, and Cam took her up on those words.

* * *

Ash leaned against the wall in the hallway, smirking. Laney glanced at him from her place in the shop, raising an eyebrow. "You spent all that time helping Lillian harvest her flowers and go foraging in the forest, hmm?"

"That's right," the boy answered, marching up to her with a proud grin on his face. "I was about to head in my house when she surged forward, caught me by the shoulder, and begged me to help her with this little plan."

"It looks like you still lost in the end, though," she pointed out, her smile tinged with sympathy.

Ash shrugged, digging his hands into his pockets. "Hey, he could always screw it up. I'll be there when he does. But I'm not a bad enough friend to hope it happens. For now…let them be. When Lillian gets sick, _I'll_ take care of her."

Laney watched Ash stride from the door, already setting to work folding another paper flower. She smiled, shaking her head as the faint sounds of his whistling faded away. _You wouldn't dare_, she thought, glancing back at the room that held the couple Ash had brought together. Inside, Cam and Lillian were enjoying one of the greatest festivals either had experienced in their time at Bluebell, and their best friend would never hurt that.

* * *

"Where's Lillian?"

Ash sighed, wiping sweat from his forehead as he turned to face his friend. "You don't come to me offering to help, you don't ask how _I'm _doing on this hot summer day…no, you only ask about her. It's true what they say – when your friends fall in love you can't even recognize them anymore!"

The theatrics didn't faze Cam, who had grown to expect nothing less from his best friend. "You've only been out here five minutes, Ash. Where is she?"

"What makes you so sure I know?" the boy replied teasingly. When Cam let loose an exasperated sigh, however, he chuckled and gestured towards her farm. "She's infected, jerk. If you don't put together a town effort to make her feel better she'll probably break up with you."

"What makes you think I haven't already?" Cam asked, winking as he strode off. "All I asked was where she was – I already knew she was sick."

Ash watched his friend go, an eyebrow raised. "Hey, you didn't actually, right? I mean, wouldn't you need my help? Cam? Cam! …Cheryl, where are you going?"

"To see Lillian," the little girl replied with a smile, holding a bowl of hot soup before her.

"What?" Ash cried out, jumping over the fence and hastening after her as she strode hurriedly towards the farm. "You're kidding, right? …Right? Cheryl!"

Cam offered Cheryl a thumbs up as she giggled, speeding off to tease her brother. He looked down at the bouquet in his hands, completed with the flowers the townspeople had helped him gather as part of his plan. It was his turn, he decided, to make her feel better.


End file.
